ISRO General News and Updates

[Indx TechStyle]

Now ISRO Will Find Water Resources In Karnataka Villages

Bengaluru: In order to solve water crisis, Karnataka Government today said that ISRO would map villages to identify availability of water resources in the state.

"ISRO will map villages to find out availability of water resources to solve the water problems of the state," Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister HK Patil told reporters in Bengaluru.




He said a systematic database of villages generated using space technology will help government take appropriate steps to conserve and augment water resources in villages.


The Minister said he and his team had already met noted scientist and honorary professor at ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) Sivathanu Pillai and held discussions in this regard.

In the next round of talks, he would meet ISRO Chairman AS Kiran Kumar, Mr Patil said adding that he was ready to meet him even today "if the ISRO chief is available now."

The engineers and officials have been instructed to submit a report on the villagesa which are facing acute water shortage by March 2.

Mr Patil said government would furnish it once the report was submitted and a plan charted out.

 

[sorcerer]

IDN TAKE: ISRO Building a Monstrous Rocket to Carry 10-Tonne Satellites



Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is building its heaviest rocket yet, which can carry satellites weighing 10 tonnes into space, even surpassing the GSLV-MK III which is under testing. Currently, the space agency’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV MK-2) can carry satellites weighing around 2 tonnes.
PROPELLING INTO THE FUTURE
CGI concept of ISRO's Semi-Cryogenic Rocket Engine


The proposed rocket would be powered by a semi-cryogenic engine — that runs on kerosene and liquid oxygen, which the space agency is currently developing. Semi-cryogenic engines are environment-friendly and bring down the cost of launches significantly. The design process for the semi-cryogenic engine has been completed and it is being built by Godrej Aerospace, which also makes the Vikas engines for ISRO’s rockets.


Unknown to many, an important development is underway at ISRO, for the past couple of years it has been working on a future vehicle series which is modular in design and structure, in which the key objectives are to simplify vehicle integration, bring efficiency in operations and in the long run achieve significant cost accruals. The new series is called the Unified Launch Vehicle (ULV) program, which will eventually replace the PSLV and the GSLV launch vehicles. As stated in several ISRO resources, the ULV will be a series of 3 to 4 expendable launch types and will feature common liquid stages for all variants resulting in considerable amount of cost savings, usability, maintainability and reliability.

Though the media has hyped about GSLV-MkIII LV as a "Monster" rocket, it is however the Unified Launch Vehicle (ULV) which will be a true blue "Monster". This will be the real coming of age for Indian space technology and capabilities which will make India on par with more advanced space fairing nations, it will also augment ISRO's commercial prospects to a great extent. ULV will also be used to send the first Indians to the Moon and bring them back safely back to earth, and it is certain that the ULV will be used for sending India's own space station into orbit. Besides, we can expect India in a couple of decades aim to send humans to Mars and beyond.


A rendering of Clustered Semi-Cryogenic Engines


The vehicle, as its name suggests will unify ISRO's various class of launch vehicles which is currently being used into a single launch vehicle platform. The plan is to have a common liquid semi-cryogenic core as the First stage with variable fuel loading capabilities for all of its variants. The Second stage will also be equipped with a Cryogenic stage which will be highly configurable thus having the ability to satisfy various payload requirements of customers. Currently ISRO has launched the CE-7.5, which powered the GSLV-Mk2 in January 2014, the other engine currently under development for the Mk-III is the CE-20, further developments are either in progress or planned such as the CE-60 and the CE-100 engines. The vehicle will mate solid propellant Strap-on boosters of different variations (S12, S60, S138, and S200) for the boost phase. Hence, by adjusting the fuel and power levels of the stages, a single launch vehicle can be used to launch various payload mass thus eliminating the requirement to have multiple launch vehicles, this is the sole aim of the ULV project.

PROPOSED VARIANTS

• The smallest version of the ULV uses six S-13 boosters and has a launch mass of 274 tonnes. The payload capacity is 1.5 tonnes to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) and 4.5 tonnes to Low-Earth Orbit (LEO)
• The second version uses two S-60 boosters and has a launch mass of 340 tonnes. The payload is 3 tonnes to GTO or 10 tonnes to LEO
• The third version uses two S-138 booster and has a launch mass of 560 tonnes. The payload is 4.5 tonnes to GTO and 12 tonnes to LEO
• The most powerful variant is to use the S-200 booster of GSLV-Mk3 and has a launch mass of 700 tonnes. The payload is 6 tonnes to GTO and 15 tonnes to LEO

As per ISRO the following objectives for the Semi-Cryogenic engine have been realized:

The Preliminary Design Review (PDR) for Semi-cryogenic engine development has been completed
Preparation of fabrication drawings of subsystems have been completed.
Realisation of copper alloy, hydraulic actuation system, heat exchanger and ejector & single element pre-burner (PB) for Thrust chamber.
Injector spray charaterisation using PIV was carried out. Test facility for single element pre-burner commissioned at PRG facility, VSSC.
Semi Cryo Test facility design by M/s Rolta has been completed.
Configuration design of subscale engine is completed.
Hydraulic Actuation System (HAS) and Hydraulic Power System (HPS) for Engine Gimbal control is completed and Technical specifications are finalized.
Single Element Pre-Burner injector element has been hot tested successfully.
Ignition of LOX/Isrosene propellant with hypergolic slug igniter and flame holding has been completed.
Demonstration of safe handling of pyrophoric fluid TEA, validation of start sequence, characterization of injector elements and qualification of Hayness-214 material are the other major achievements of the tests.
Admin - IDN



http://www.indiandefensenews.in/2016/02/idn-take-isro-building-monstrous-rocket.html

 

[Gessler]

ISRO to setup Satellite Center in Vietnam, provide Remote-Sensing data to ASEAN countries
THE HANS INDIA | Feb 25,2016 , 01:07 PM IST

As part of Space Cooperation between India and Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), at the behest of Government of India, is working towards the establishment of a Satellite Tracking & Data Reception Station and Data Processing Facility in Vietnam for ASEAN Member countries.

This facility is intended to acquire and process Indian Remote Sensing Satellite data pertaining to ASEAN region and disseminate to ASEAN Member countries. Under this initiative, all ASEAN member countries, including Vietnam will be allowed to access processed remote sensing data pertaining to their country.

Ground facility is designed in such a way that it will not allow Indian data to be accessed and processed by the system. This information was provided by the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh in a reply to an unstarred question in Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/i...-to-set-up-satellite-centre-in-Vietnam/209712

++

So, we're officially going to bring the ASEAN states into our Space fold. Remote-Sensing (IRS series & others) is just the first step, soon we'll have to capitalize on Communication (INSAT/GSAT-type), Navigation (IRNSS) and Military applications (RISAT-type) as well, depending on market.

A brilliant move from both a strategic and a commercial perspective.

@Indx TechStyle @HariPrasad-1

 

[Chinmoy]

New Delhi: India and the US on Thursday discussed the possibilities of collaboration in future Mars exploration projects and other space missions.

The Mars Working Group of the two countries, which met on Thursday, sought to identify and implement goals that NASA and ISRO share on Mars exploration, particularly coordinated observations and science analysis between MAVEN, the Mars Mission of NASA, and ISRO's MoM.

Noting that space cooperation between the two countries has increased by leaps and bounds, Verma said it was not possible to think of such cooperation a few years ago.
"Our countries established a Mars Working Group to investigate further cooperation for Mars exploration. The third face-to-face meeting concluded in Bengaluru."

"The Mars Working Group seeks to identify and implement goals that NASA and ISRO share on Mars exploration, particularly coordinated observations and science analysis between MAVEN and MoM and NASA's other Mars projects," Richard Verma, US Ambassador to India, said.

"We can continue exploring Mars together. Our engineers can jointly develop a space craft to study the surface of Mars. Our scientists can work together, study the and analyse the data and learn even more about the Red planet. Let's go further in our solar system. Our nations could build together space craft to reach other planets in our solar system," he said.

He was delivering a lecture on "US-India Collaboration & Innovation: Exploring the Potential of Satellites for Digital" at the ORF Kalpana Chawla Annual Space Policy Dialogue.

Noting that space cooperation between the two countries has increased by leaps and bounds, Verma said it was not possible to think of such cooperation a few years ago.

After the nuclear tests conducted by India in 1974 and 1998, the US and several Western countries imposed sanctions which badly hit the nuclear and space industry in the country.

Listing out ISRO and NASA cooperation on Mars, Verma said the working group is also looking at future potential joint missions to Mars.

"NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory provided navigation and communication support to MoM, showcasing how our nations can work together on complex channels," Verma said.

He added that the two space agencies have embarked on an ambitious space project NASA ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) project.

India and the US also discussed ways to enhance cooperation in space, including vital security aspects, at different international fora.

A meeting between Indian officials and a US delegation led by Frank Rose, Assistant Secretary of State, State Department held a high-level meeting on Wednesday.

http://www.ibnlive.com/news/india/space-mission-india-us-explore-collaboration-avenues-1208062.html

 

[HariPrasad-1]

ISRO is becoming the leader in remote sensing.

ISRO to setup Satellite Center in Vietnam, provide Remote-Sensing data to ASEAN countries
THE HANS INDIA | Feb 25,2016 , 01:07 PM IST

As part of Space Cooperation between India and Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), at the behest of Government of India, is working towards the establishment of a Satellite Tracking & Data Reception Station and Data Processing Facility in Vietnam for ASEAN Member countries.

This facility is intended to acquire and process Indian Remote Sensing Satellite data pertaining to ASEAN region and disseminate to ASEAN Member countries. Under this initiative, all ASEAN member countries, including Vietnam will be allowed to access processed remote sensing data pertaining to their country.

Ground facility is designed in such a way that it will not allow Indian data to be accessed and processed by the system. This information was provided by the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh in a reply to an unstarred question in Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/i...-to-set-up-satellite-centre-in-Vietnam/209712

++

So, we're officially going to bring the ASEAN states into our Space fold. Remote-Sensing (IRS series & others) is just the first step, soon we'll have to capitalize on Communication (INSAT/GSAT-type), Navigation (IRNSS) and Military applications (RISAT-type) as well, depending on market.

A brilliant move from both a strategic and a commercial perspective.

@Indx TechStyle @HariPrasad-1

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Story of the Week:Indian Space Research Organization

ISRO participates in "Make In India Week"

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) / Department Of Space (DOS) actively participated in "Make In India Week", held during February 13-18, 2016 at Mumbai. A week long exhibition was organised on this occasion showcasing ISRO's potential for supporting “Make In India” initiate. A half a day seminar on the theme "Make In India – Space" highlighting the business opportunities in the Space sector was also organised on February 17, 2016.

ISRO strives to develop various space technologies and utilise them for the rapid and all round development of the country. In this endeavour, spanning over five decades, ISRO has indigenously perfected many critical technologies essential for building satellites, launch vehicles and applications, as originally envisioned by Dr Vikram Sarabhai, the founding father of the Indian space programme. PSLV, the indigenous workhorse launch vehicle of India, has not only launched Indian satellites, but 57 satellites from 20 countries as well. Besides, satellites designed and developed in India are now providing many essential services to the country, and some of them are now providing services globally. All this signifies ISRO’s long term adherence to ‘Make in India’ concept.

Seminar on "Make In India – Space"

In his opening remarks, Dr YVN Krishnamurthy, Scientific Secretary, ISRO, said that in association with ISRO, Indian private industry would be able to involve in the applications of space technology and this would facilitate bigger business opportunities for them worldwide. In his keynote address, Mr Tapan Misra, Director, ISRO’s Space Applications Centre, opined that ISRO wants more private companies to make launch vehicle and satellite related components for the government run enterprise. ISRO has offered to assist them with technology transfer and in building the required infrastructure to help incubate a space industry in the country. Senior representatives from the major centres of ISRO, along with Industry partners of ISRO, including L&T, Godrej and Sure Safety Pvt Ltd. participated. A panel discussion on ‘Make In India - Space: Opportunities in the Space Sector’ was held and the following points were discussed:

• Scaling up from Component and Subsystem level to Entire Systems, Stages, Vehicles and Satellites
• Indigenisation of Materials and Components
• Spin-Offs of Space Technologies
• Enhancement of Applications- Communications, Broadcasting, Remote Sensing and Navigation
• Building of Launch and Satellites Integration & Test (SIT) Facility

The evolution of ISRO-Industry collaboration model from Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-3) onwards was highlighted and the strategic investments made by ISRO was briefed during the discussion. ISRO eagerness for enhanced role and partnership from the Indian industry towards meeting the future endeavors was stressed.

ISRO’s endeavour to enhance the launch rate provides a great opportunity for industries to participate in a bigger way in space programmes. Until now, the participation of industries were limited to hardware, components or small systems and now ISRO is looking forward to fully integrated and tested systems like Control actuation systems, Liquid engines and stages, Solid motors, etc. This will enable industries to own technologies and leverage it to their advantage. Today, ISRO is planning to offer a new Small Satellite Launcher and a small Satellite to be realised by an Indian industry with ISRO's help. This will enable industries to view space as a future business area and consider investing there for capturing the future market.

As part of the make in India program, many aspects of Earth Observation, data processing, use of Geospatial technology, location based services and Application software development in Geospatial modelling, photogrammetry and other online geo-processing related aspects were highlighted. GAGAN based smart-phone Apps was specially stressed as there is a big need for a varieties of application actions. Challenges were provided to industry to make the GAGAN dongle with USB inter-face so that it can work on Android based mobile devices. Also, the various value additions possible on Bhuvan geo-portal platform was specially highlighted so that industry can work with NRSC, ISRO as technology innovators.

The ISRO manifest with a plan of about 12 missions per annum demands production of about 25 stages, 10 LAM engines and 200 thrusters per year by 2019-20, which shows there is tremendous potential for the Indian Industry to capitalize and contribute. Since 1980s, Industry has been a major partner in the development of many major hardware and systems for ISRO, like manufacturing of Vikas Engines and Cryogenic engines, and there has been steady and consistent performance by capably adopting the ISRO’s stringent requirements in manufacturing processes and quality control. To facilitate the large scale production, LPSC/ISRO is embarking a new model like the “GOCO” (Government Owned and Company Operated), which will enable the Industry expertise to be utilised more effectively and in a focused manner.

Additionally, there have been various spin-offs for a large number of parts/systems developed, like Sensors (Liquid Level measurement, Temperature, Pressure, etc.) and precision control components like regulator, valve etc., many of which would find application in chemical and petro-chemical industries.

Mr Jayanth Patil of L&T, recalled how a small investment of Rs 10 crore grew up later to Rs 15,000 crore partnership with ISRO. Mr S M Vaidya of Godrej and Boyce, talked about their journey with ISRO, beginning in 1985 with the precision machining of Titanium components to fabricate Vikas engines. The experience gained with ISRO in the areas of precision fabrication, testing and quality have helped them to service orders from aerospace industry. Mr Nishith Dand of Sure Safety highlighted their partnership as an MSME and in developing a space suit. Mr Nishith also urged for an ecosystem for funding and handholding with single window system and continuity for systems developed.

The session was very interactive, and many questions were asked from user side. The questions were related to the promotion of the composite materials in ISRO activities, Robotic Research, Grid Network of Canals, Impact of Space Technology on Society, etc., which were appropriately answered by the ISRO representatives.

Antrix Corporation, which is ISRO's commercial arm, provides space products and technical consultancy services to Indian and international customers worldwide. It facilitates launches of satellites for international customers at competitive prices.

Exhibition on "Make In India – Space"

ISRO’s pavilion at ‘Make in India Week’ intended to effectively and conspicuously appraise its mission and showcase the country’s achievements in the realm of space. Several digital display systems provided information on the opportunities available for Indian industry to enter into partnership with ISRO to develop and build systems for the satellite, launch vehicle and applications domains. In addition, information on many identified technology transfer areas, including software area, where Indian industry can actively involve and develop spin-off products, was also made available.

Apart from the exhibits of scaled models and representation of various space related gadgets like Lithium-Ion Batteries, Transducers, etc., the System/Software demonstrated at ISRO pavilion are:

• Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) that uses microwave signals for the detection of buried objects and features which being used for snow/ice studies for the last three years at Antarctica. GPR is a low cost indigenously developed instrument and is being offered for technology transfer.
• Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) is ISRO’s initiative to build an independent satellite navigation system to provide precise position, velocity and time to users over the Indian region. The live demonstration of user segment of IRNSS, including the receiver, the system functioning concept and the navigation data from IRNSS was performed.
• Meteorological and Oceanographic Satellite Data Archival Centre (MOSDAC) is the store house of weather data from various Indian satellites like INSAT-3A/3D/KALPANA-1, Oceansat, Megha-Tropiques and SARAL. It also provides real time weather alerts like cloud burst, heavy rain, cyclone, heat wave etc. Samples of information available at MOSDAC in real time were demonstrated.
• Live demos of Mobile Satellite Service using GSAT-6 satellite includes voice and data communication using hand held terminal, small message and position reporting service along with video conferencing using portable terminals. This system will be useful for communications during disaster and to provide communication services to remote places anywhere in India.
• GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) is India’s satellite based Augmentation System which enhances the position accuracy of GPS derived position data. ISRO efforts are now focused towards bringing GAGAN technology to mobile devices through Bluetooth/USB dongle devices. Live GAGAN navigation data was demonstrated.
• BHUVAN is a geo-platform of developed by ISRO allowing a host of services towards geo-governance since 2009 and available in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. Various features of BHUVAN were demonstrated.
• Integrated GIS and Image Processing (IGIS) software conceptualised by ISRO, which was designed and developed jointly by ISRO and M/s Scan Point Geomatics Ltd. (SGL), Ahmadabad. Subsequently, the technology was being transferred to M/s SGL. Various features of IGIS were demonstrated.
• FEAST is ISRO’s in-house developed structural analysis software based on Finite Element Analysis. It is capable of solving linear problems like static analysis, Free-vibration, stability, transients, frequency, random response, fluid-structure interaction, visco-elastic analysis, etc. The capabilities of FEAST software were demonstrated.

Serious business proposals are anticipated from the industries that includes Aditya Birla Group, ABB, Excel Plants and Equipment Pvt Ltd, Esquire Capital Investment Advisors, Ministry of Science, Malaysia and Malaysian Universities for tasks like Launch Vehicle building / Launch Services, Nano Satellites, Industrial robots, Strap on Motor fabrication, building launch vehicle structure, Satellite based survey.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Make in India Week(Gallery)

 

[Indx TechStyle]

A bit more:

 

[Indx TechStyle]

R.I.P. 30 characters rule

 

[Indx TechStyle]

More from same site:

Story of the Week - Archive
Feb 26, 2016 : ISRO participates in "Make In India Week"
Feb 16, 2016 : Towards Self Reliance in Navigation-IRNSS
Feb 10, 2016 : User Interaction Meet 2016 and New Releases in Public Domain
Feb 02, 2016 : IIST: Capacity Building for Indian Space Programme
Jan 26, 2016 : Aditya - L1 First Indian mission to study the Sun
Jan 18, 2016 : ASTROSAT Completes 100 days in Orbit
Jan 11, 2016 : Geo-spatial Technology for Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan

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• next ›

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Before ISRO Can Go Onward and Upward, India Needs a Good Space Law
One hopes that the needs of the future and the spirit of adventure will drive Indian space policy as opposed to – in the words of V from ‘V for Vendetta’ – the security of the familiar and the tranquillity of repetition.

A SpaceX Dragon capsule in orbit around Earth, as part of the CRS-5 mission. Credit: SpaceX

One of the most challenging and interesting areas of law is the jurisprudence of space activities. Space, as a subject, a domain and a paradigm, fundamentally challenges collective human consensus worth several hundreds of years on subjects as elemental as sovereignty and ownership. What compounds the problem is that addressing space from a policy-making perspective involves not just domestic in-house legislative and executive exercises but also that such exercises must constantly engage, influence and ratify international regulations and processes. And as a space lawyer, one must constantly unlearn and let go of the limiting influences of conventional legal training while also retaining the fundamental enablers of conventional jurisprudence that makes a space-law perspective possible.

The US has adopted a new law that recognises mining of space bodies by private players. In many ways, this is an extension of a vision that dates back to the Commercial Space Launch Act, 1984, which enabled the private sector to assume operations in space and left NASA to focus on what it does best: research and development. Elon Musk’s SpaceX and similar success stories are a byproduct of a robust relationship that the Americans built with the private sector to leverage opportunities in space. This is in stark contrast to the pre-infantile state of play for the private sector in India.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has done a phenomenal job of putting India on the roster of elite space faring nations. ISRO itself is a testament to perseverance and ingenuity, a fact borne out by the growth the organisation has achieved despite the limiting effects of international sanctions. Today, it deserves the independence that it enjoys – bolstered by the success of its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). In fact, there would be no private sector in space in India at all without an ISRO that inspired the youth of this country to look skyward and beyond. So the context is simply this: how can the private sector now participate and enhance the greatness of ISRO?

Only pessimism for the private sector

While ISRO remains the central player in this scenario, the story remains incomplete until we understand that technology and space-based services have now taken centerstage in achieving better governance and quality of life on Earth. Take for example, the proposed Goods and Services Tax regime that aims to translate the entire tax collection, compliance and filing systems to an electronic and Internet-enabled system. When the system rolls out, India will need to ensure rapid percolation of the Internet into every nook and corner, an effort that can be made easier with high-throughput satellites, which are a hot trend elsewhere but not yet in India for unknown reasons. From healthcare to education, satellites will define India’s growth in the Information Age. But the need for such space based services is growing faster than the pace at which our government seems able to sate it, thus necessitating a larger collaborative effort.

The regulatory framework for space activities is defined by a combination of policies, procedures and guidelines of the Government of India. The salient ones among them are:

1. 
   
   
   • A policy framework for satellite communications in India (a SATCOM policy for short)
   • Norms, guidelines and procedures concerning allowing Indian parties to provide services, including uplinking of TV signals with Indian satellites (SATCOM norms)
   • Remote Sensing Data Policy, 2011
   • The technology transfer policy of ISRO

What these policies and guidelines show is that between Antrix, ISRO and the Department of Space, the government appears to be an operator as well as a regulator, resulting in a virtual monopoly. This obvious conflict of interest was left unnoticed for a while as space wasn’t an area of focus for the private sector. But now, with the emergence of private players, this is a concern. The discretion vested with the committees and bodies under the SATCOM norms don’t come with deadlines prescribed for authorising the launch of satellite systems, nor is there an explicit policy framework for the exercise of such discretion – which potentially violates Article 14 of the Constitution. This has led to poor investor confidence and very little traction for a lot of space startups in the country (which do exist, by the way). And let’s not even get started about spectrum and orbital-slot allocations, which will likely continue to be victims of domestic and international bureaucracy. In short, pessimism is the order of the day for the industry.

While that’s the implication for the private sector, there’s an identifiable implication for the nation as a whole. A lack of rationalisation in transponder leasing (a byproduct of the conflict of interest mentioned above); poor governance in the geographical information domain (or no governance, considering we’ve no known geographical information policy); the monopoly over remote sensing data generated by Indian satellites; and rigid tech. transfer policies pose not just financial losses to the government but also losses on the optimisation front – from the way education is delivered to the masses to better urban planning. And this is besides the fact that we could generate employment and retain talent in India if we can ensure a lucrative space for the private sector in this area. Last but not the least, NASA and the European Space Agency have both demonstrated that innovation is better achieved through a robust engagement with the private sector, which hopefully will provide much needed fodder for our collective thought processes on the subject.

A revolutionary road ahead

So how can a space legislation address these issues? To begin with, a legislation – in the form of a law enacted by the Parliament – enjoys a level of stability that a policy or guideline can never achieve. That by itself will demonstrate the fact that the country has the vision to back up its capacity. It will of course have to answer whether or not we are serious about giving opportunities to entrepreneurs who were provoked into dreaming about opportunities in space by our own space agency’s achievements.

Should we intend to respond positively, then the legislation will have to make some radical changes. First, it must separate the regulatory functions of the Department of Space and ISRO, and vest the functions with an independent body. And this body must not only determine applications for launch of space assets but also the management of derivatives of the Indian space program and its initiatives. It must provoke the question of whether ISRO must focus exclusively on what its key strengths are – research and innovation – and leave the burden of day-to-day operations for the private sector to leverage. The need to address these topics is urgent as a legislation either enabling or disabling private participation of space activities will, if nothing else, provide closure to the young people dreaming about making a livelihood by taking India to infinity and beyond.

Finally, there are some ancillary issues: liability for space debris, national responsibilities for monitoring space activities arising out of its territory or its mandate, cross waivers in case of failures during launch of payloads into space, and so forth. These questions must be addressed parallel to the question of whether we must allow an industry to surface in the Indian space domain at all. Then again, we must also remember that as more of Earth’s resources are depleted, and as we struggle to figure out how to address the problems of the future, the answer lies with a good space law. Falling behind in this race could threaten the country’s prestige as well as our ability to safeguard the security of our descendants in a way that our current Weltanschauung cannot fathom. As our Parliament enters into its next session, one hopes that the needs of the future and the spirit of adventure will drive space policy as opposed to – in the words of V from V for Vendetta – the security of the familiar and the tranquillity of repetition.

Ashok G.V. is an advocate and partner at TMT Law Practice, Bengaluru.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

'INTERNATIONAL CONSPIRACY' DERAILED INDIA'S INDIGENOUS SPACE PROJECT: FORMER ISRO SCIENTIST

The third and final successful ground test of the indigenous cryogenic engine by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) last Friday has raised hopes of launching the country's first heavy-lift version of the geostationary satellite launch vehicle (GSLV) in December.

The GSLV-Mark-III can carry a payload of four tons, about twice the capacity of ISRO's existing rockets. The C-20 engine that was "hot tested" for 635 seconds at the Liquid Propulsion Complex at Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu will be used to power the rocket's upper stage.

But S. Nambinarayanan, former Project director of ISRO's Liquid Propulsion Systems, says this milestone could have been crossed 12 years ago had his project not been derailed by an "international conspiracy" to halt India's leap into space.

It was Nambinarayanan who introduced the liquid fuel rocket technology in India in the 1980s. The Vikas engine used today by all ISRO launch vehicles, including the one that took Chandrayaan-1 to the moon in 2008 and Mangalyaan, was the result of two decades of work by his team with assistance from France.

And, as project director of the newly-launched indigenous cryogenic engine project, he plunged headlong into developing the propulsion systems for ISRO's GSLV and interplanetary missions. With this in mind, in 1991, he signed a contract on behalf of ISRO with the Russian space agency Glavkosmos for the technology transfer of a cryogenic propulsion system.

But things did not turn out as planned. Glavkosmos, in 1993, reneged under pressure from the United States. And Nambinarayanan was arrested on November 1994 on charges of selling India's "rocket secrets to Pakistan through two Maldivian women "spies" leading to his suspension from his job. With Nambinarayanan out of the scene, the cryogenic engine development suffered.

"Cancellation of the contract and my arrest were part of an agenda of the US, accomplished by conniving with officials of our Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the Kerala Police," Nambinarayanan told this correspondent in an email. As an evidence of conspiracy, he refers to the dismissal of an IB officer of the rank of joint director in 1996 for his alleged links with the CIA.

In fact, in 1996, the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI), which took up the "ISRO spy case" found it to be false and fabricated by the IB and the Kerala Police -- a finding endorsed by the Supreme Court in April 1998 and by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in September 1999.

The NHRC also passed strictures against the Kerala government for having "tarnished (Nambinarayanan's) long and distinguished career in space research apart from the physical and mental torture to which he and his family were subjected."

Nambinarayanan says he managed to obtain the supplies and documents relating to the cryogenic engine from Russia's Glavkosmos before it cancelled the contract and arranged a private airline (Ural Aviation) to transport the cargo to India in four shipments.

"With this, I hoped ISRO could master the cryogenic technology," he said. But his suspension from ISRO's cryogenics systems project put an end to that.

"Had there been no conspiracy, ISRO would have achieved space power status long back, maybe as early as 2000," Nambinarayanan told IANS. "Today, we are not only delayed by more than 12 years but have also lost several billion dollars worth of launch business."

The rocket scientist feels sad that while the CBI concluded that the ISRO "spy case" was false and fabricated, nobody bothered to unearth the motives behind it or punish those officers of the IB and the Kerala Police who were charged with negligence and dereliction of duty by CBI.

"The government should constitute a special investigation team to find out the total truth in the ISRO spy case," he said.

While ISRO is celebrating last week's successful "hot test" of its new cryogenic engine, Nambinarayanan, 75, who started this work two decades ago, is now spending much of his time fighting court cases - to get Rs.1 crore (Over $145,000) in damages he had claimed from the state and central governments.

He is also seeking action against police officers who framed him and others in a false case that harmed India's space programme.

@Gessler @Illusive @roma @HariPrasad-1 @gslv markIII
IMO, these conspiracies are paki musings that we fake our missions and British delusions that we are using aid in defense and space(which we actually not get).
What's opinion of you guys?

 

[Indx TechStyle]

After Reaching The Moon And Mars, Now ISRO Will Map Villages To End Water Problems!
According to a statement by the Karnataka government, Indian Space Research Organisation has agreed to map villages to identify water availability to resolve the state's water problems. "ISRO will map villages to find out availability of water resources to solve the water problems of the state," Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister HK Patil told reporters.

slideshare

ISRO will map villages to find out availability of water resources to solve the water problems of the state," Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister HK Patil told reporters in Bengaluru. He said a systematic database of villages generated using space technology will help government take appropriate steps to conserve and augment water resources in villages.

blogspot

The Minister said he and his team had already met noted scientist and honorary professor at ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) Sivathanu Pillai and held discussions in this regard. In the next round of talks, he would meet ISRO Chairman AS Kiran Kumar, Mr Patil said adding that he was ready to meet him even today "if the ISRO chief is available now." The engineers and officials have been instructed to submit a report on the villagesa which are facing acute water shortage by March 2. Mr Patil said government would furnish it once the report was submitted and a plan charted out.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

US Launch Orders to ISRO

During October 2015, Antrix Corporation Limited (Antrix), the commercial arm of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), has signed Launch Services Agreement with M/s. PlanetIQ, an American Company, for launching two of their satellites on-board ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). These satellites are meant for studying certain weather parameters. This information was provided by the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh in a reply to an unstarred question in Rajya Sabha today.

 

[Screambowl]

Just one thing..
I really don't like the theme colour on the walls and furniture they used inside isro mission control.

They look like some canteen of a government office in karnataka

 

[Illusive]

@Gessler @Illusive @roma @HariPrasad-1 @gslv markIII
IMO, these conspiracies are paki musings that we fake our missions and British delusions that we are using aid in defense and space(which we actually not get).
What's opinion of you guys?

Its old story well known, i hope Mr. Nambinarayan gets his due. Hopefully we get to do the same to US one day.

 

[Gessler]

What we can expect from Private industry in future as far as PSLV production goes :

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Just one thing..
I really don't like the theme colour on the walls and furniture they used inside isro mission control.

They look like some canteen of a government office in karnataka

It must look like a base for star wars.

 

[archie]

ITS A Rebel base... thats why its a little out of shape

 

[Gessler]

India can send astronaut to Mars in joint mission with US: Charles Elachi, NASA
By PTI | Feb 28, 2016, 09.17 AM IST

"In future, India and the US could jointly explore Mars and who knows an Indian astronaut could also head to the Red planet on a joint mission."

ET SPECIAL:Love visual aspect of news? Enjoy this exclusive slideshows treat!
By Pallava Bagla

NEW DELHI: In future, India and the US could jointly exploreMarsand who knows an Indian astronaut could also head to theRed planeton a joint mission.

India's maiden mission to the Red Planet,Mangalyaan, has opened the eyes of the world on ISRO's capabilities at undertaking low cost, high value inter-planetary mission.

Charles Elachi, director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory or JPL, a part of NASA and an institution better known for piloting most of the American planetary exploration efforts with rovers like Curiosity, says India and the US could jointly explore Mars and even invited India to send astronauts to the Red Planet. Excerpts of an interview:

The US is interested in going back to Mars, so is India. Will India and America look at a joint robotic mission to explore Mars?

We hope so that it will be the case in the future. At NASA, we are just beginning to plan for next mission to Mars for the next decade, which is 2020-2030. In fact shortly, there is a meeting in Washington on possible collaborations for the next 5-6 mission to Mars and ISRO is invited for that meeting. This is in preparation for the ultimate human space flight to Mars. We clearly hope that India would be interested. Hopefully, India will be part of the consortium between US, Europe, France, Italy among others where all can capitalise on our capabilities to explore the solar system.

A cooperative exploratory mission is what you are looking at?

Yes, that is right. With its accomplishment on the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) India is a great partner, India can be a full partner in the international endeavour for exploring Mars.

In the long run, President Barack Obama has said America should send humans to Mars, so are you looking at a collaboration with India on that mission, since India also has a human space flight program?

NASA is starting to plan for the human expedition to Mars, and NASA is looking at it as an international endeavour. NASA has invited international agencies to start thinking together on how to send humans to Mars and beyond. So clearly that is an area where there will be collaboration between India and the US considering the capability that India has, by showing that it can meaningfully contribute to international endeavours.

What was NASA's role in India's mission to Mars?

When India launched its mission to Mars, and I congratulate India on a superb mission by reaching the orbit or Mars in the very first attempt. JPL supported ISRO in the navigation and communication because of the antennas we have. Reaching the Mars orbit in first attempt was an amazing achievement and that too at such low cost. Now American scientists through its MAVEN mission and India through its Mars Orbiter Mission are sharing data.

NASA is looking to mine an asteroid, is India likely to participate on that mission?

We are looking at a mission using electric propulsion, which is a major advancement in technology, to capture an asteroid and bring it back to lunar orbit so that astronauts can go and do more deeper exploration. NASA has opened the door for potential interest, be it from India or Europe. We are in a very early stage of planning so that is clearly an opportunity for more collaboration with India.

Where are Indo-US relations in space heading?

I think they are heading for a very positive future, from five years ago the interest has now tremendously expanded. There is now good will both politically and scientifically, I am very optimistic about the future in space collaboration. Space is for everybody, the good will between two countries makes space a natural place to work together. The two can cooperate even in astronomy, India has a long history in astronomy. I visited the ancient observatory made by Indians (at Jantar Mantar) that is a few hundred years old that furthered knowledge and now we can do it together. India has a great tradition of learning.

What else is in store for NASA and ISRO in the future?

We have a mission called NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission. This is a major mission that will be launched in 2020. Here we are really collaborating as equals, between India and the US. This mission will allow us to look at natural resources across the world, natural hazards like tectonic motion, climate impact and climate change. This is of direct day-to-day benefit for life both in USA and India. This came up as a collaboration among scientists but is now a full-fledged approved joint mission between both countries.

How can you decipher things from space after a disaster strikes?

This is a RADAR mission, that has the capability to take a picture of the land, and then you come back a few days later and take another picture. In the meantime, if there was a change even down to a scale of a few centimeters we can detect it from space.

This gives you a picture of the motion that has occurred as result of an earthquake or mudslide. This will allow us to better understand the physics behind an earthquake. Potentially it will allow us to predict areas with large natural hazard.

This is of direct benefit be it for India or California where we see tectonic activity as well. The two main RADAR instruments are being developed by NASA and ISRO, the satellite bus will be Indian and it will be fabricated in India and then it will be launched using the Indian rocket the Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle. This time we are truly collaborating as equals.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...-charles-elachi-nasa/articleshow/51174641.cms